1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus that includes a display screen having a touch panel function, and an image display method applied to the image display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the trend toward larger display screens has been in progress in electronic devices, such as digital cameras having display screens and the like, in order to improve their visibility of the images. On the other hand, reduction in the weight and size of the devices is also important. Consequently, development of such electronic devices as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 5(1993)-244592 and 11(1999)-164175, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,034,881 has been in progress. These electronic devices are equipped with a touch panel function on the display screen and the user operates the device in various ways through touch operation buttons displayed on the display screen, while minimizing the number of operation buttons, operation keys, and the like mounted thereon.
Most of the digital cameras and the like have an output terminal, and may output an image stored therein to an external device such as TV or the like by outputting image signals from the output terminal to the external device through a cable or the like. When a digital camera is connected to TV, it is customary that the display on the display screen of the digital camera is terminated to reduce the power consumption and to avoid complicated display control. Therefore, for the digital camera equipped with the touch panel function on the display screen and operated in various ways through touch operations as described above, the termination of the display on the display screen of the digital camera after it is connected to TV causes a problem that it lacks in operability since no operation button is displayed on the display screen.